NASSAU, The Bahamas -- The government continues to remain committed to fostering a greater sense of environmental stewardship in The Bahamas. During his contribution to the Mid-Year Budget Debate on Monday, Minister of the Environment and Housing, the Hon. Romauld Ferreira said that the country’s environment is no longer headed down a destructive path.  He said that since October 2019, the government has been diligently working to protect the environment.

“The 3rd October, 2019 was the day we changed forever the Bahamian environmental legal landscape,” he said. “On a personal level, this represents the culmination of what I have been working towards since I was 13.”

He said that tremendous strides have been taken since then including the establishment of the Department of Environmental Planning and Protection (DEPP). He noted, with the DEPP Act of 2019 in place, The Bahamas is finally able to address its wide range of environmental deficiencies in existence since independence.

The DEPP Act of 2019 has set in motion the enforcement of environmental laws and regulations that ensure the collection of fees for a host of environmental breaches,” he said. “Fee structures are currently in place for the application of certificates of environmental clearance; and fees are presently being compiled for application for scientific research, various administrative applications, as well as fines and penalties for all environmental infractions as outlined in the DEPP Act of 2019. The free ride is over.”

He explained that these fundamental environmental rights have been enshrined in law. The foundational tenets include: The right to be fully informed about development issues including the requirement for notice to the public and the establishment of a website; the right to live in a healthy environment, via the need of a certificate of environmental clearance; the right to have immediate action -- DEPP can seek restraining orders to prohibit continued violation or prevent activities which negatively impact the environment; the right to report wrong without fear; the right to expect justice; the right to expect appropriate levels of compensation (the act allows for fines up to $30 million dollars and imprisonment terms of up to 10 years); the right to have environmental equality throughout the country.

“With the passage of this act and the establishment of the newly formed DEPP, we now move forward to take our rightful place to implement, monitor and enforce the environmental rights of Bahamians, no matter the development, location or ownership,” said Minister Ferreira. “The law now puts all individuals on the same footing. There is no longer a disparity due to wealth, education or privileged access.”

He said that this mechanism ensures that resources are properly managed.

“We created mechanisms for better management of our resources and will continue to do so by enacting more laws and regulations that alleviate our dependence on fossil fuels, limit our GHG emissions, mitigate and adapt to climate change, lobby for increased funding from donors for environmental projects and programs and increase public participation and public awareness of all environmental initiatives.”